On Thursday, Morocco declared the beginning of an aid project to assist and rehouse the occupants of the 50,000 structures that were damaged by the terrible earthquake last week.
Since it struck last Friday in the Al-Haouz province, south of the popular tourist destination Marrakech, the magnitude 6.8 earthquake—Morocco’s largest ever—has left about 3,000 people dead and more than 5,600 injured.
Following a conference presided over by King Mohamed VI, the royal office announced that those who are left homeless will be given temporary housing in “structures designed to withstand cold and bad weather, or in reception sites equipped with all the necessary amenities.”
According to the announcement, the Moroccan government has also mandated that homes affected by the disaster get urgent relief in the amount of 30,000 dirhams, or almost $3,000.
According to the statement, this will be the first phase of a scheme encompassing some 50,000 homes that either completely or partially collapsed after the earthquake.
It is unknown how many people have been rendered homeless by the earthquake, which destroyed multiple entire communities in Morocco’s Atlas mountains.
The royal office said that 80,000 dirhams would be used to restore partially collapsed buildings in addition to 140,000 dirhams (approximately $13,600) for entirely collapsed dwellings.
Spain, Britain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have all sent rescue teams to help Morocco, but so far the United States, France, and various Middle Eastern governments have rebuffed their offers.
